The summer of '07
Welcome to Mark's Journal. What a summer I had. On June 1st, just a few months ago, I was in Beijing, China trying to determine if I was going to stay there for another year, where I was going to live, if I was going to keep teaching English day after day, and thinking about how my family was doing back in the states. If I stayed I would have had to spend my little savings to go to Hong Kong and get a new visa, find a new apartment when I got back, and endure a hot and steamy Beijing summer. I was hoping to get an apartment that my friend's family owned, but it was in a Siheyuan, or a traditional 4-sided courtyard housing space owned by several different families and they objected to a foreigner or stranger moving in, so I gave up on that. I didn't want to live in Xiaoxitian anymore, it was too dirty (streets, people, atmosphere) and I wanted to avoid living in that apartment anymore and having to pay any money to those rotten people at the rental agency (aka Zhongjie in Chinese). I very rarely call anyone rotten, but those people at the rental agency may have been the worst people I had to deal with in China. But I made a very trusted friend, Phoebe, because she helped me get through that ordeal without getting ripped off and still getting the apartment I wanted (at the time anyway).
SO... after living there since August, 2006, I was ready to get out, but I couldn't decide where to go. My mother offered to let me stay with her, go to school or find work, and my Grandparents would help me pay for ticket home. I took them up on it. But I still had alot of unfinished business in China. I had to move out of that apartment and battle to get my deposit back. Phoebe again came through with a lot of help. I had to quit my job and get my pay early. Fortunately I had a good relationship with the school and I was able to pick up my last paycheck early. I had to go to the underground currency exchange and get US$ for RMB, on and on. I had a goodbye dinner with my friends and students at the school. In the end, though I loved learning Chinese, I felt teaching English was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and was not providing me the lifestyle I really wanted, and the business I started with Phoebe would be successful, but that I could not be of much help in China.
In June, my friend from Hawaii e-mailed me about his investment business in Hawaii and asked me what I was doing. He mentioned he might need some help and I replied that if he needed someone that I would jump at the opportunity. On June 23rd, the day I would fly back to the states, he called me to discuss the job further and more about my plans. I told him I would be flying back to see my family and he said, enjoy your vacation and let's keep in touch about this job.
Upon flying back to the states and over the next two months, I was amazingly fortunate and happy to have a chance to see everyone in my family and my very good friends. I saw my uncle James and friend Jason in Los Angeles. Soon after I flew to Phoenix, Arizona to see my Mom and Vic. Then I flew over to Colorado and spent a couple weeks with my Dad and Jane. Then I flew to West Lafayette Indiana to see my grandparents and aunt Janet and her family. Then I drove down to Cincinnati, Ohio and saw my aunt Karen and April and her kids. By the end of the summer, I had seen my friends and family, traveled to several national parks in Colorado, played Racquetball again, did lots of yardwork at my Grandparents house and so much more. It was so nice to see the people and places I love as well as some new faces and places as well.
Then, at the end of the summer, I got in contact with my friend in Hawaii and he told me he wanted me to come aboard his investment business in Hawaii. In this job, my background in finance, Asian languages, and computers would be an asset.
After a hectic week of packing and finding a place to live in over the Internet, I moved to Honolulu, Hawaii on September 8th. Now I work in a nice office overlooking the ocean in lovely Hawaii. I have a job in the field I am interested in and a exciting future. Of course I think about China sometimes. I plan on going back someday, but in a different way, maybe on business, maybe on vacation. All I know from the experience I had this summer is, things can change quickly and in ways you didn't expect.
SO... after living there since August, 2006, I was ready to get out, but I couldn't decide where to go. My mother offered to let me stay with her, go to school or find work, and my Grandparents would help me pay for ticket home. I took them up on it. But I still had alot of unfinished business in China. I had to move out of that apartment and battle to get my deposit back. Phoebe again came through with a lot of help. I had to quit my job and get my pay early. Fortunately I had a good relationship with the school and I was able to pick up my last paycheck early. I had to go to the underground currency exchange and get US$ for RMB, on and on. I had a goodbye dinner with my friends and students at the school. In the end, though I loved learning Chinese, I felt teaching English was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and was not providing me the lifestyle I really wanted, and the business I started with Phoebe would be successful, but that I could not be of much help in China.
In June, my friend from Hawaii e-mailed me about his investment business in Hawaii and asked me what I was doing. He mentioned he might need some help and I replied that if he needed someone that I would jump at the opportunity. On June 23rd, the day I would fly back to the states, he called me to discuss the job further and more about my plans. I told him I would be flying back to see my family and he said, enjoy your vacation and let's keep in touch about this job.
Upon flying back to the states and over the next two months, I was amazingly fortunate and happy to have a chance to see everyone in my family and my very good friends. I saw my uncle James and friend Jason in Los Angeles. Soon after I flew to Phoenix, Arizona to see my Mom and Vic. Then I flew over to Colorado and spent a couple weeks with my Dad and Jane. Then I flew to West Lafayette Indiana to see my grandparents and aunt Janet and her family. Then I drove down to Cincinnati, Ohio and saw my aunt Karen and April and her kids. By the end of the summer, I had seen my friends and family, traveled to several national parks in Colorado, played Racquetball again, did lots of yardwork at my Grandparents house and so much more. It was so nice to see the people and places I love as well as some new faces and places as well.
Then, at the end of the summer, I got in contact with my friend in Hawaii and he told me he wanted me to come aboard his investment business in Hawaii. In this job, my background in finance, Asian languages, and computers would be an asset.
After a hectic week of packing and finding a place to live in over the Internet, I moved to Honolulu, Hawaii on September 8th. Now I work in a nice office overlooking the ocean in lovely Hawaii. I have a job in the field I am interested in and a exciting future. Of course I think about China sometimes. I plan on going back someday, but in a different way, maybe on business, maybe on vacation. All I know from the experience I had this summer is, things can change quickly and in ways you didn't expect.
posted by Mark at
1:20 AM
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